Thousands share Thanksgiving meal in Edmond

EDMOND — Chang Liu, 19, of China, had her first Thanksgiving Day meal Thursday at the University of Central Oklahoma.

Volunteer Jessica Lau serves turkey for guest at the Edmond Community Thanksgiving event at The University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond, Thursday November 22, 2012. Photo By Steve Gooch, The Oklahoman

Liu was one of more than 2,000 people who ate turkey at the Edmond Community Thanksgiving Dinner event.

She said she is studying piano at UCO and, like many international students, wanted somewhere to go for a meal with friends since family is far away, she said.

She ate turkey and the dessert, she said. After the meal her plan was to “sleep,” and then “shop” and then “study.”

The food she said was “good, really good,” Liu said.

Volunteers started showing up for the Thanksgiving meal to help set up about 5 a.m. said volunteer Dan Martel, 50, of Edmond. There were hundreds of volunteers on hand. By 9 a.m., several hundred people had already eaten, Martel said.

“It has been busy,” Martel, said. “As soon as we opened the doors it was busy.”

Blaize Paradise, 12, of Edmond, said he had been helping prepare for the dinner for several days. He helped cook and performed a number of various tasks.

“I feel a little better when I help people out,” Paradise said. “And I really had nothing else to do today.”

Mike Laska, 64, of Edmond, has been organizing the Edmond Thanksgiving dinner for 31 years.

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Robert Medley has been a reporter for The Oklahoman since 1989, covering various news beats in the Oklahoma City metro area and in the Norman news bureau. He has been part of the breaking news team since 2008. A 1987 University of Oklahoma...